FoodMan

Correct, I was taking food back home. People at places like that either eat standing up infront of the shop, sitting at the few tables he has outside or in their cars. You almost never see people walking around and eating. Not sure if it's a rule. It's just nice to take 15 minutes and eat your meal instead of rush I guess.

Abu Koko I had never been to Abu Koko before. It is not exactly new, but when I was living in Beirut 12 years ago, I am not sure it was that popular. In any case, I went there because my cousins insisted we pick up some sandwiches from there for dinner one night. They claimed this place makes outstanding Kabab sandwiches. Kabab here refers to ground lamb and/or beef mixed with spices, formed into a log shape (1 inch thick and maybe 6 inches long), skewered and grilled over charcoal. So off we went and I was not disappointed. Abu Koko is small, even by Lebanese standards and also located in the Dora area close to Jabbour. It’s long and narrow with some counter space to eat your food. Most people eat their wrap on the go, at the 3 or 4 tables he has outside or in their cars. What was fascinating to me is that the place was bustling busy with one guy (Abu Koko himself??) manning the cash register and taking the order, two guys making the actual sandwiches and one guy grilling everything! It’s quiet a chore keeping track of everything, especially for the poor fellow who is actually making the sandwiches. For our order alone we had about 12 sandwiches and almost each one different than the other (no pickles, extra hot sauce, no vegetables/with fries,….). The guy did not screw up a single one and never missed a beat. A shot of the sparse menu. This is the guy you need to talk to to get your custom Kebab sandwich. I was trying to see if I can get a picture of our meats grilling. Since, we were waiting for our order, I am assuming quiet a few of these were ours. The sandwich maker posing for the camera. He asked me to make sure he gets his pic on-line. Making Kebab sandwiches The Assembly line. Typically one of the guys was putting on the vegetables and the other one (pictured above) was adding the meat and finishing the assembly. Abu Koko’s selection. I only ate the Kebab, seen here at the bottom, and that’s what 80% of the people get. My wife tried his chicken Tawook sandwiches though and said they were quiet good. I could not wait to get home. Mine (both of them) had in addition to the Kebab meat, hummus, onions, parsley, tomatoes, pickles and extra hot pepper paste. It is amazing how good and inexpensive this was ($1). Too bad I only had the chance to get to Abu Koko only once, but it is definitly on my radar for future visits.

Oh man...wait till you see the Abou Koko Kebab shop pictures for an idea how a tiny operation can be efficient and organized and tight!! You are correct about the garlic sauce. It is basically an emulsion of vegetable oil (gives it a mayonaise white color and consistency), garlic, lemon juice and salt. IT is used HEAVILY. My wife makes sure to order hers with light garlic, because subtlety with 'Thoom' (ie Garlic) is not a Lebanese trait Yes, Turkish style is defintily a big influence (example: Donner Kebab is pretty much Shawarma). As for your other question, well, I am not sure this is the right thread for it. I am also not an authority on Turkish food, so I really do not know the answer. I know the two are very similar though.

I really have to learn to eat breakfast before logging on. This looks divine. :drool: The tablecloth is also lovely, and it amazes me to see it in a sandwich shop. It looks like handmade crochet? Or is it a clever plastic copy? As for the Pepsi; Ribena is the same for my mom when she travels to England. She really looks forward to it. Interestingly, we can get it here, but here she doesnt want it. Its part of the experience of 'home'. Will later pix include wedding food? <Fingers crossed> ← LOL...nah that corchet is my mom's! We had taken a few sandwiches 'to-go' for my wife and kids. As for wedding food. Well, I was the best man so I was not taking many pics. Whenever I get the pictures from the 'official Photographer', I'll see if i have any pictures of the food.

About tourism in Lebanon: As much as it pains me to say it, we would not have gone this year if it was not for my brother's wedding. The situation, what with political unrest, the Nahr El-Bared camp problem and the upcoming elections was a bit risky. We made sure to return before the elections are scheduled to start (next week). With that being said, Lebanese and Lebanon have a very short recuperation period. Even now, Beirut was busy, restaurants were full, beaches (we went twice) were hopping and the capital seemed normal. Every now and then we were reminded of where we were at by the extensive security checks everywhere and the army check points towards the north (due to the now resolved Nahr El Bared camp problem). If the upcoming elections pass safely, then by next summer tourists will start trickling back! In any case always use your judgement and what is ok for me might not be for you (I did live through 15 years or so of civil war as did most Lebanese...so I do not scare easily). My kids had so much fun, I really would love to go back soon. So, I hope all turns out and stays well.

I think the Shawarma here was 2500 L.L. which is about $1.70. You can find cheaper Shawarma, probly as low as $1. Even the not spectacular specimens are still pretty good IMHO, which just drives me crazy when I see Beiruties plonking down $5 -$8 for a lame Big Mac meal down the street!! Gyro to me is the Greek equivelant, is made with a thick pocketless pita (as opposed to the thin pocket one viewed here) and as far as I know is not found in Lebanon. I did not walk into any shops that sell 'Gyro', only 'Sandwich' = 'Pita bread wrap' made using Lebanese bread with pocket. Hope this helps.

Jabbour In 2.5 weeks in Lebanon, I think I ate here maybe 10 times. The Shawarma at this place in Beirut’s Dora area is sublime, the best anywhere. Not just the beef/lamb one but also the chicken version is juicy, packed with flavor and delicious. Jabbour’s Shawarma is always a highlight of any of my trips to my home country. Chicken Shawarma on the right, the beef/lamb one on the left Shawarma is the main attraction for me and Diana here, but Jabbour is a full fledged Lebanese restaurant/sandwich shop. In this one display you see some of the possible choices like lamb kebabs, kefta, lamb liver, tongue, kidney and one of my favorites lamb testicles! You just place and order and the guy in the back grills the skewer over charcoal and makes you a nice fresh pita bread wrap with it (i:e Lebanese sandwich). This is a not so good closeup of a chicken Shawarma and a glass of cold no-corn-syrup-included Pepsi. All of us look forward to drinking this Pepsi! This sandwich contains in addition to the chicken pickled cucumbers, lettuce, french fries and lots of garlic sauce…it could be messy. The beef/lamb one will have tahini sauce, pickled turnips, parsley, raw onions and tomatoes. More Lebanon trip photos to come…

I will use this thread to gradually post (4 or 5 posts maybe) what food-related pictures and notes from a recent trip to Lebanon, mainly Beirut and North of Lebanon. Unfortunatly, this particular trip was a busy one since we went for my brother's wedding. As such we did not get to do as many things, see as many sights or hit as many local food joints as we normally would have. Everyone was so damn busy! I even forgot my camera at a very crucial spot. Here goes what few pics I have. Hopefully, you will find them worth a quick look.

I cannot speak to the wine pairings, since I've never had them. Seems like you thought the food was good though. That's how I see Tafia, a local restaurant with good simple local (as much as possible) food and excellent ratafias. It is by no means my favorite or on the same level of the other ones you listed. I do agree, the waitstaff by and large is not very savvy, but usually efficient at their job.

Hong Kong Mkt is exactly the place I was looking at for green papaya. I only found regular ripe papaya. That's where I also got the green mango. Maybe I should've looked in their refrigerated section? Who knows....

I could not find green (unripe) papaya either. The mango is definitly not ripe. It is hard to the touch and the flesh is yellowish green. It tastes pretty tart with barely a sweet flavor in there. Good stuff.

Odd. I found the section about Dario and the whole butchering in Tuscany piece very emotional and lovingly written. I forget what the closing sentence of that piece was...but I remember it was one of my favorites in the book. I guess I do not understand why he would not like the book.

Yeah, it would be too late now Peter. I made Vin De Noix this year towards the end of June and the nuts I got from Rumiano farms were a bit on the hard side already. I did not make any last year, but the Cru 2005 is still getting better everyday. I think I have two more bottles of that.

Creative use of leftovers: I had some leftover roasted chicken and potatoes. To use them up in a new way and to stretch them to feed the family, I made Fideos. This is basically a paella made with toasted vermicelli noodles instead of rice. The recipe I followed is from Anya Von Bremzen's "The New Spanish Table" and it's actually for Shrimp Fideos. I used chicken stock and my leftover chicken instead. As a flavor base the recipe uses Sofregit -sofrito- made with lots of caramlelized onions and dried Ancho chiles and sundried tomatoes. It was excellent. Maybe even better than the original dish (i:e the roasted chicken )

I got some nice green tomatoes from my wife's grnadfather's garden and wanted too do something different with them. So, I remember that LR Kaspar has a cool looking recipe in her Italian Country Table book, a recipe for green tomato sauce that is traditionally eaten for San Giovanni's Eve (sorry if I have the wrong saint's name, the book is at home ) sometime in June in Puglia. So, a quasi-Pugliese meal ensued. The pasta with a sauce made from green tomatoes, lemon zest/juice, homemade ricotta, onions, chives and caramelized garlic. Fresh, summery and delicious. Try it out if you have some green tomatoes and you do not want to fry them up. Pork chops, brined, pan fried and sprinkled with parsley, garlic and lemon juice. Served with brocoli and cauliflower cooked simply in a satuee pan with garlic and olive oil.

Last night's dinner, all from Thompson's Thai Food: Pork Shin and Peanut soup. I made a 4X batch and used a large hock following the intro to this recipe. I blanched and also shallow fried the hock to get it golden brown. The soup is delicious with obvious roots from China (soy sauce, Shao Xing cooking wine, ginger in the paste,...) Green Mango salad (Buying a Bron Mandolin was one of the best purchases I've made recently...I love the thing). I used his recipe for green papaya salad minus the green beans. I used green mango because I could not find green papaya in my local Asian store. This was tart, sweet, fishy, nutty and spicy...in short awsome. Chicken Larb , one of my wife's favorite dishes All was served with sticky rice Dessert- Steamed coconut pudding with young coconut. I also followed one of his recommendations and steamed it in the husk of the coconut. I embelished it with a cool topping of coconut cream and served with a sliced dragon fruit. Another winning dish that looks pretty neat.

Ah...that explains why it didn't work! I'm glad to hear it's them and not me. I'd never heard of a hog ring clip before. Frankly, I'm surprised they're not called "sausage staplers". ← Yeap. I don't use collagen casings anymore after trying the real stuff. I had the same problem with linking them and mentioend it here too. You probably have to go back to the early pages of this thread to see that...maybe pages 2-5 or so... EDIT: Actually it's all the way in page one. click Here.

This is fascinating chef. I make my Baklawa the 'hard' way by brushing layers with butter, but this....I have to try and see the difference (using all butter of course since I believe that margarine is the work of the devil ). It does look amazing, and I am craving one already, but do we end up using way more butter than the traditional method? I've never thought to measure how much butter I use, but it just seems like this method uses significantly more than the traditional method.

From this weekend: Lebanese Stuffed eggplant, tomatoes and a bell pepper (well it was the only one in the fridge and needed using up, so I added it to the mix) Served it with rice and this lovely Musabacha from Paula Wolfert's "Mediterranean Grains and Greens". This dish is more or less a deconstructed Hummus and is delicious.

A mid week dinner from Campania, Chicken Cacciatore - recipe bastardized from Schwartz. I made a few...errr...additions. Because I love raisins in the meatballs recipe he has, I added osme here to the sauce. I love how their sweetness works with the rich brasiing liquid and acidic tomatoes. Highly recommended addition. The braising sauce made a perfect condimento for spaghetti along with homemade fresh ricotta and herbs from the garden.

Here are the Blueberry Brown Sugar cake pieces. They are even better than they look, very flavorful and moist.

I've been waiting on a certain someone who took all the pictures to send them to me before I post, but oh well. I can always post them later. I made the same Perfect Party Cake for my son's birhtday party a couple of weeks ago and it worked very well. I love this white cake recipe ever since I tried it (as Dorie says she got it from him) in Nick Malgieri's book. I see Dorie already answered your question about Cake Flour, and here's another vote to use all purpose instead. I do it all the time. Now, that plum cake looks juts perfect. Other things I tried recently include the blueberry brown sugar cake (heavenly), The whiteout cake (also for my son's birthday....but for the school party) and the Buttermilk Cocoa cake (This was pretty good, but I want more malty flavor) BTW, what exactly is malted milk? IS that what the label says on it? Is it basically Ovaltine ?

I am craving Panelle real bad now, and the chicken looks fantastic as well.

I love how left overs and bits of odd ends come together to make a lovely dish. We had this last night because I had some boiled potatoes, arugula and green beans. Using the Les Halles cookbook as a guide I tossed together a very tasty and healthy Nicoise Salad (sorry no boiled eggs at the time )

Finally remembered to take a picture of this delicious brew this weekend. I love how clearer and more refined (taste and colorwise) it gets as it ages.